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The Dwarven Ruins Pt 2
The party, consisting of Mormiir, Larkin, Goro, and Roddy returned to the city of Whitehelm, to a new area the Guild had gained access to. Almost immediately upon entering, they encountered several diseased, fungus-ridden undead. A dwarven soldier also appeared and beckoned everyone to safety up a twenty-foot wall. Mormiir went straight for the dwarf, but Goro, Larkin, and Roddy attempted to fight off the undead. There were too many to take down, however, so the three of them ran for safety themselves. Larkin and Goro were attacked, and Goro was infected with the disease. Fortunately, it turned out to be curable with his Lesser Restoration spell. After everyone climbed the wall after the dwarven soldier, he led them to a safe area and introduced himself as Commander Durin Stonewall, an undead paladin devoted to the dwarven god Moradin. Durin explained that the city was overtaken by the Snuffcap fungus, which suffocates its victims, then reanimates them as undead. Whitehelm used to be the entrance and exit from the Dwarven Empire to the surface. However, the entrance and exit to Whitehelm were collapsed in order to prevent the disease from spreading-- which cut off the Dwarven Empire from the surface. Durin explained that he had taken a divine, undying oath to defend the city. He can only rest once it has cleansed. He asked the party to flood the city with lava in order to cleanse it. Then, afterwards, the city can be dug out, and the dwarven empire (much deeper underground) can be connected to the surface again. Mormiir naturally was eager to carry out his duty to his people, but Goro told Durin he would help only if Durin helped them find the blueprints. Durin told the party they would have access to the blueprints and treasure in the vault, which he gave them a key to. Durin explained that a beast called the Glutton (IE Diva, IE The Hunger) used the fungus deliberately to destroy the city. He added that scientists had been doing research into the Glutton's nature, but were taken over by her before they learned how to defeat her. To the Laboratory Roddy was feeling fearful and elected to stay behind while the rest of the party went ahead. Durin led them as far as he was able, then left them to complete the mission on their own. They reached a dam of lava, and Larkin used dynamite sticks and her dexterous skills to build a bridge from fallen stone columns so her allies were able to cross. On the other side of the dam, the party found a laboratory. All three teammates were very eager to learn more information about Diva, and they scoured the lab for clues. Goro found a glass aquarium filled with writhing, oily black things, larvae-like but seemingly liquid at the same time. Larkin found a tome which was written in dwarven runes, but on closer inspection Mormiir reported that they seemed to be scrambled. They decided to take the book back to Skyport for decipherment. Mormiir found a cage. Inside was an emaciated dwarf with wet-rimmed black eyes, who moved like a puppet on strings, and spoke with a sugary sweet voice. Diva recognized the party instantly, just as they recognized her. Mormiir wanted to kill her--Diva didn't mind; she didn't find that particular host useful, since he was locked up. Goro went to the side of the cage, where Diva seized him by his shirt, furious at him for telling Ripley about their deal. He didn't pull away, but instead attempted to sweet talk her. Diva responded by grabbing a black larva--apparently out of thin air-- and attempting to shove it into his mouth. Larkin and Mormiir jumped into action and pulled Goro to safety, and Diva dropped the larvae on the ground. Goro stomped on it and it stopped moving. He persisted in trying to get information out of her, pretending he was still intrigued by her power. Diva revealed that she would like to someday make a second Glutton: not just hosts like she has now, but another entity completely. She heavily implied that this would be Goro's fate if he continued to level up as a warlock. Goro tried to find out if Diva can remove her larvae from hosts and restore them to their former selves, but she did not seem to know, as she's never bothered to try. Fed up with all the talking, Mormiir threw his javelin at Diva. It killed the host body, and there remained no sign of Diva having possessed him--his eyes had turned back to normal, and even upon close inspection he was just a regular dead body. Goro took an empty jar from the lab and captured one of the larvae in the aquarium--a Seed of Gluttony--to put inside it for further investigation. The Vault The party continued on to the vault. Inside was a large clockwork dragon. Mormiir's presence didn't seem to disturb it, but as soon as Goro poked his head in it reared to life and became aggressive. Mormiir attempted to talk to and calm it down, but the dragon was not placated, and a battle began. Goro was knocked unconscious early on; Larkin spent some time stabilizing him, then proceeded to shoot at the dragon multiple times but kept missing. Mormiir alone wiped the thing out after a few rounds, chopping its head clean off. Afterward, it was time for loot... or not. Mormiir said he and Larkin could take the fine dwarven armor that was lying around, but insisted they leave the gold and gems, as it was property of the clan. Goro made a beeline for a box of papers. Along with partial blueprints, he found a perfect miniature of an airship, providing a complete picture of how to construct a full-sized one. Following a minor disagreement between good friends Mormiir and Larkin over the fate of the gold, the party returned to the dam of lava, Larkin and Goro's pockets jingling suspiciously. The party used their remaining dynamite to destroy the dams, and they fled the area before it was flooded and burned. Durin escorted everyone out to safety. His undying vow now fulfilled, he stood atop the twenty-foot wall, waved goodbye, and tossed Mormiir his legendary ax before being consumed by the flames. Back in Skyport Grinning gleefully like the little shit he is, Goro showed up in Ripley's office and presented her with the model airship and blueprints. Ripley was so pleased she awkwardly hugged him, a moment both of them quickly tried to forget. Next Goro showed her the Seed of Gluttony he'd captured in a jar and explained what it was. Ripley said she'd known someone once, a researcher who should have been able to help them learn more... but said researcher, Deandra, had vanished without a trace. Category:Session Recaps